Blood Running

About

Blood Running is a single player open world shooter game with a horror theme. It was developed by Dead Unicorn and was released on February 21, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

In a violent 23rd-century wasteland, players become Blood Runners who undertake brutal, high-risk raids to gather vital supplies and weapons. Each run features procedurally generated maps with unique locations, randomized loot, and changing environments, ensuring no two experiences are the same. Customize over 40 modular guns to match your playstyle and survive the deadly chaos.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 127 reviews

story10 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

The game features a unique cyberpunk aesthetic with great pixel art and sound design, creating an immersive atmosphere.
Gameplay is engaging with a satisfying loot and upgrade system, offering a fun extraction shooter experience.
The developer is responsive to community feedback and actively works on updates, showing commitment to improving the game.

The game feels unfinished and has been criticized for being abandoned shortly after release, leaving many bugs and issues unresolved.
Content is shallow, with limited quests and repetitive gameplay that can lead to a lack of long-term engagement.
Many mechanics, such as the crafting system and enemy AI, are underdeveloped, making the gameplay feel less rewarding and dynamic.

story
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
73%
6%
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding the main questline lacking depth and the quest rewards unfulfilling. While some quests and NPC dialogues provide glimpses into the game's lore, the overall environmental storytelling feels underdeveloped, leading to a sense of missed potential. Despite the engaging art and character design, players express a desire for more unique and varied quests, as well as improvements in quest tracking and completion indicators.
- “Blood Running is a game I find fascinating; it's one of those games that immerse you with the story and the universe itself. The music and art of the game are just an instant sell... this game is pretty much alive and hard at the same time.”
- “The story and characters all have a small story to tell; it's nice. Some missions may be buggy, but otherwise, it's a very nice title and the music is nice too!”
- “Furthermore, there is a quest system, lore, and quest text included; heck, as it appears, there is even something akin to daily quests.”
- “The main quest giver runs out of quests long before you reach high enough rank to earn her unique weapon.”
- “Even if some quests and NPC dialogues do shed some light on the events that brought the world to its downfall, a large part of such details is never explained or elaborated upon.”
- “Their quests are unrewarding just like any other, and overall, interacting with them and taking time doing their jobs is a waste of time.”
graphics
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
43%
9%
The graphics of "Blood Running" are characterized by a charming minimalistic pixel art style that many players find appealing, particularly for its unique cyberpunk aesthetic. While some users appreciate the striking visuals and engaging environments, others note issues like frame rate drops and difficulty in identifying characters. Overall, the art style is often praised as a significant improvement over similar games, particularly "Zero Sievert," contributing to a satisfying gameplay experience.
- “Although the visuals are minimalistic pixel art, there’s a notable charm in both the outpost and all the environments you’ll traverse.”
- “Blood running is an unforgiving looter shooter with beautifully animated pixel graphics in a randomly generated terrain riddled with mobs and enemies of varying intricacy and difficulty.”
- “The artwork and sound design are great and the cyberpunk vibe feels well polished.”
- “The graphics will turn people off, which is a shame, but that can't be helped really.”
- “It has unique graphics, but it makes it hard to identify people from others.”
- “It is just a regraphic version of Zero Sievert or any other extraction shooter on Steam.”
gameplay
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
48%
10%
The gameplay is characterized by a blend of extraction shooter mechanics reminiscent of "Zero Sievert," enhanced with unique cyberpunk features and RPG elements. While the shooting mechanics are generally praised for their fluidity and fairness, some players note issues with bugs and repetitive elements, as well as a slow-paced survival aspect that may not appeal to everyone. Overall, the game offers an engaging and addictive experience, particularly for fans of modular guns and immersive environments, despite some areas needing refinement.
- “If you like extraction shooters like Zero Sievert, then this will be a great time sink for you, taking that gameplay loop and spicing it up with some really cool cyberpunk style features and mechanics.”
- “This game delivers everything I wanted Zero Sievert to have and more: amazing graphics, great soundtrack, and fun but non-repetitive gameplay.”
- “Gameplay is great if you don't have the time to spend on Tarkov and enjoy a more PvE-oriented aspect that you can progress at your own pace.”
- “Your enemies will mostly be humans, robots, or mechanical bio-abominations, but they all follow the same patterns: closing in on you until they’re in firing range and shooting you with everything they have.”
- “For now, it's a Zero Sievert copycat: looting, mechanics, gun feel, even some sprites are 1:1.”
- “Regardless, for an early access game, there are still a few visual and gameplay kinks/bugs that need to be ironed out.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
18%
19%
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere, effectively conveying themes of desolation and immersion in the post-apocalyptic setting. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, describing it as smooth, fitting, and integral to the overall experience, complementing the game's impressive visuals and world-building. Overall, the combination of art and music creates a captivating and immersive environment that resonates with players.
- “I really enjoyed the smooth-sounding music and think it really suits the post-apocalyptic scenery of the game.”
- “This game delivers everything I wanted Zero Sievert to have and more; amazing graphics, great soundtrack, and fun but non-repetitive gameplay.”
- “Kinda an electro, techno, bit soundtrack, jukeboxes included.”
- “Blood running is a game I find fascinating; it's one of those games that immerse you with the story and the universe itself, but the music and art of the game are just an instant sell. This game is pretty much alive and hard at the same time.”
- “The feeling of desolation and desperation throughout the outside world is conveyed well, and aided by a soundtrack that fits these themes.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game, currently in early access, exhibits a mix of stability issues, including frequent crashes, freezes, and various bugs that can disrupt gameplay. While updates are being released, many contain their own bugs, leading to a somewhat inconsistent experience. Despite these challenges, some players appreciate the game's direction and enjoy its story and music.
- “However, crashes, freezes, and other bugs are consistently ruining it for me now.”
- “Note that as of now it's still in early access; although we are getting a lot of updates and content, most of them are buggy, so be warned.”
- “Some missions may be buggy, with objectives respawning in water or requiring the defeat of a non-existent enemy (not implemented yet).”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
67%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its captivating cyberpunk and sci-fi setting, enhanced by impressive animations and a unique art style. Players appreciate the immersive experience created by the music and overall aesthetic, which distinguishes it within the solo top-down extraction genre.
- “The cyberpunk, sci-fi setting is cool and has a great atmosphere.”
- “Now Blood Running is a nice addition to the solo top-down extraction style genre. The animation, background style, and sheer atmosphere really put this game on the map. I really can't wait to see this game grow.”
- “Now blood running is a nice addition to the solo top-down extraction style genre, we have a few contenders in the category but coming in like a wrecking ball is what makes this game stand out. The animation, background style, and sheer atmosphere really puts this game on the map. I really can't wait to see this game grow.”
- “I love the art, music, and overall atmosphere of this game!”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be less tedious compared to other titles in the extraction genre, with passive abilities offering meaningful rewards like improved damage and loot. However, some upgrades are deemed more worthwhile than others, and there is a specific crafting material that requires significant grinding, which has drawn some minor complaints.
- “These abilities are all passive and grant you better damage, faster speed, better loot, and many other bonuses, although only a few of them are really worth grinding for.”
- “My only gripes (minor ones) are no cloud saves and one specific crafting material requiring a lot of grinding.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization of the game has been criticized for significant framerate drops and overall poor performance, leading to a subpar gaming experience.
- “Framerate drops and poor performance.”
- “The game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, leading to a choppy experience.”
- “Optimization issues cause significant lag during gameplay.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players highlight the high replayability of the game, driven by engaging base management, loot collection, and diverse map exploration, which encourages repeated playthroughs.
- “Managing your base, collecting loot, and exploring the different maps makes for super high replay value.”